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Dish Network has a new network operator partner for its MVNO brands: AT&T. The companies have signed a network services agreement (NSA) that will see Dish pay AT&T at least $ 5 billion over the next ten years to use its 4G and 5G networks as Dish brings its own 5G network online.
The deal takes effect immediately and comes at a time when relations between Dish and T-Mobile – currently a major network partner – are particularly strained. This is a non-exclusive deal, and Dish says some of its customers will likely continue to connect to T-Mobile’s network. The arrangement also gives AT&T the right to request access to use part of Dish’s wireless spectrum.
Dish owns MVNOs Boost Mobile, Ting and Republic Wireless, which operate on other carrier networks. Dish acquired Boost Mobile as part of the T-Mobile / Sprint acquisition deal, as part of a plan to make the company the fourth largest wireless operator in the United States. The acquisitions of Dish Ting and Republic Wireless have also given the company access to core infrastructure and subscribers in anticipation of its launch as a full-fledged mobile operator.
Things didn’t exactly go smoothly. There’s the impending shutdown of T-Mobile CDMA – a network that many Boost customers still rely on – which Dish says is happening sooner than expected (T-Mobile’s responses to this have had a big vibe ” stop hitting yourself ”). Dish has also lost hundreds of thousands of wireless subscribers in recent financial quarters.
AT&T does not operate a CDMA network, so this new agreement is not intended to address this issue. At the very least, that includes a two-year transition period at the end of the deal, during which AT&T must cooperate to help users continue their service, so Dish can hopefully avoid setbacks. additional potentials.
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